A Simple Sacrifice
by Nakhtmin
Summary: [Setting: Ancient Egypt] Anck-su-namun has just arrived in the court, threatening to disrupt the fragile balance of Nefertiri’s and Imhotep’s feelings. This explores the relationships between these three characters [Anck x Imhotep] R&R please!


**A/N:** This is the first time I'm writing for this fandom. I've been fascinated with both _The Mummy_ and _The Mummy Returns_ movies for a long time but somehow I never got around to writing something about them. Then there was this plot jumping around inside my head and I just had to develop it for real. Please bear in mind that my English is not yet perfect, as it is only my second language. I'll let you be the judge of that though. I hope you enjoy my fic!

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Only in the heat of a real fight could she find peace. Contradictory? Perhaps. She was most happy when she tightened her strong, yet delicate fingers around her sais – she felt... _safe_.  
  
Her father, Pharaoh Seti I, had always encouraged her to learn how to fight, even though it wasn't considered to be a very feminine thing to do in the court – or in Egypt, for that matter. Nefertiri outdid all her opponents soon after starting to learn how to use the sais but it still wasn't enough: it was difficult to be sure whether she was actually better than all of them or if everyone let her win just because she was the Pharaoh's daughter. The precious Pharaoh's daughter... rich, educated, but yet incarcerated.  
  
Whenever she looked in the mirror, Nefertiri saw a beautiful girl glancing back at her: long black hair falling on her shoulders, wavy strands partially hiding dark-green eyes, enhanced by the heavy black eyeliner her female servants applied on her every morning, after her bath. Her full lips were always curved in a small, gracious smile, even when she didn't feel like smiling at all. It gave others the impression that she was constantly happy – after all, why shouldn't she be? She had everything she wanted, but yet... something was missing. Most importantly, Nefertiri didn't think that she would find that something while trapped in a life she didn't want to have.  
  
Her spirit was free. It didn't matter. Or at least so she thought...

**XxXxXxX**  
  
It wasn't until a girl about her age arrived in the court that she found some joy and completion – but only in fighting.  
  
That girl went by the name of Anck-su-namun and was meant to marry the Pharaoh soon. She too fought with sais, so Nefertiri was delighted to have a new opponent to try her skills on. What she hadn't imagined was that the sly girl also had some skills of her own. Everytime they fought, Nefertiri ended up on the floor, defeated.  
  
It was infuriating.

**XxXxXxX**  
  
Anck-su-namun was the daughter of a rich nobleman. During her 17 years of life she had learned how to be cold and calculating in order to get exactly what she wanted, never less. She had had a good teacher, her own father, who wasn't in the least bothered by the fact that sending his daughter to the court to marry the Pharaoh would probably imply making her feel unhappy. She had never been consulted on that; it certainly hadn't been her decision either.  
  
_«But why not?»_ the girl thought upon entering the Pharaoh's palace in Thebes. _«This could prove to be very useful...»  
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She had always known that men valued her looks a lot. With her long, thick, straight black hair, flawless golden skin and somewhat tempting narrow eyes she was considered to be a beauty. Anck-su-namun instinctively _knew_ that was what the Pharaoh had thought when he had first seen her and decided that she had to be his. She was only too happy to comply.

**XxXxXxX**  
  
Imhotep, High-Priest of Osiris, was the man upon whom Seti placed a great deal of reliance. His power was growing day by day; he still smiled to himself whenever he thought how fast his rise had been: going from a mere scribe to High-Priest was certainly a long ladder to climb, yet he had achieved his goal without too much trouble.  
  
Imhotep was a muscular young man, pretty much aware of his ability to please women with his looks, although he was not interested in having a serious relationship. He was highly intelligent, yes... but weak when it came to matters of loyalty and heart.

**XxXxXxX**  
  
Nefertiri and Imhotep had already met briefly before Anck-su-namun had arrived in the court, most of the times in official events Nefertiri was forced to attend. Although she hadn't spared him a second glance after they greeted each other respectfully, he enjoyed looking at her, studying her features.  
  
The Pharaoh's daughter was out of reach, we was most sure of it. Then everything changed when he lay eyes upon the newcomer, the exotic beauty with golden skin, Anck-su-namun.

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**A/N:** I hope that _:points up:_ wasn't too bad... it was only a prologue, though, introducing the characters and stuff. Reviews are important to me, as I need to know what I'm doing wrong. If you feel the need, then please review! I'll start working on chapter 2 soon if I see that people are interested in my work.


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